29. Let God Prevail

0:00 Hey, what’s up everyone? It’s Jennie, the LDS mission coach and you are listening to the LDS mission Podcast, episode number 29. Let God prevail. I’m Jennie, the LDS mission coach. And whether you’re preparing to serve a mission, currently serving a returned missionary or a missionary mama like me, I created this podcast just for you. Are you searching for epic confidence? Ready to love yourself and to learn the how of doing hard things? Then let’s go. I will help you step powerfully into your potential and never question your purpose. Again. It’s time to embrace yourself. Embrace your mission, embrace your life, and embrace what’s next. Hello, everyone, and welcome to the podcast. I’m so happy to be with you. Happy New Year to you. Here we are 2022 I can’t believe it. But we’re here. And we’ve got January the New Year. And this season is actually really hard for me. January is a tough month for me. We had an amazing Christmas with my kids home. And we went on a little trip to Las Vegas for a minute to see America’s Got Talent. Anyway, I don’t know if you guys are fans of that show. But we went to see that Vegas show which was super fun. And we love to watch it as a family. We also tried to do some hiking in the Red Rock area. And guess what? It was cold enough to snow. So we tried to escape the cold dreary weather here in Boise. But we weren’t able to, we went to Las Vegas, or it was also kind of cold and dreary. Although we did have one day of sun. Mostly it was just nice to be together and to see some shows and to do a little bit of hiking anyway, but then I come back home after all of the holiday festivities, after all of the Christmas seeing and celebration and New Year, and everyone goes back to school and we get back to work and I just feel a little bit down. I’m not gonna lie. I’ve sort of wondered at times, if I suffer a little bit from seasonal depressive, I don’t think disorder. But maybe I definitely know that I’m affected by the seasons. So when we have these dreary, cold days day after day after day, it genuinely makes me want to hibernate. I remember my son when he was out in the Manchester mission this time last year, that all of them were required to have happy lights that they would have in their apartments because of kind of this cold dreary weather. And I definitely use my happy light. And I also have my ring light that gives me lots of good light in my office when I’m working with my clients. Speaking on my clients, I should say that did you guys know you can sign up for a free strategy session with me. I’ve had moms on those strategy sessions, who want to help their missionaries. I’ve had preparing missionaries on those sessions. I’ve had RMS on those sessions, and you can hop on that session for totally free. And we can make a plan for how you or your missionary can be completely successful moving forward. So that’s totally free. Just go to my website, Jennie dildine.com. And you can sign up for a free session or actually you can also find a link on my Instagram page or on my Facebook page. I would love to hang out with you get you some help and some tools to get you moving in the right direction if you’re feeling a little bit stuck. So go sign up for one of those calls. I’d love to meet up with you. Fun fact is one of my mentors, Jody Moore has an amazing podcast called better than happy and you should totally go check it out. I was just actually listening to her. I was on a call with her and she was saying one of her tricks for recording a podcast every single week is to not make it so intense. Like you were planning a talk for Sunday or for sacrum meeting. And here’s what’s funny about that is what I’ve been thinking I want to share with you today is actually a talk that I gave in our sacrament meeting. About a year ago, it was actually February of 2021. The reason I’ve been thinking a lot about this talk and the title of the talk was let God prevail and we were assigned to you know, discuss this topic from President Nelson’s talk

4:56 was because of kind of the state I’m And then where I’m just feeling a little bit down, I’m feeling a little bit mad, I’m feeling a little bit out of it, not motivated. I’ve been thinking about this time of year, how we’re kind of in a cold 50% of the Year kind of a down 50% of the year. And come spring and summer, I know for sure for myself that I’m going to be more motivated, I’m going to be more active, I’m going to feel less like hibernating. And I’ve just been thinking about how there is this duality in our lives in many ways. In so many areas of our life, there’s light and dark, there’s day and night, there’s hungry and full, there’s happy and sad. There’s winter and summer. Anyway, I’ve just been thinking about this and how all of this is part of God’s plan, and perhaps even part of letting God prevail. Now, when a new year rolls around, there’s all this like hype and excitement about the New Year motivation. Let’s create something awesome in the next year. And I’m all for that I don’t want to discount that we can have new goals and new motivations. I’m just speaking, what’s true for me is that when a new year rolls around, it actually is hard for me. So in a lot of ways 2022 might be better. But the truth is, for some of us 2022 might be more of a challenge, even than 2021 was, these next few months might be more challenging. For many of you, you might be in quarantine again, like I know so many missionaries are going back into quarantine, many of the missionaries. I know personally, actually, you will might be in the MTC and Provo and have COVID Right now, because there’s a lot of that going on. You might be home from your mission earlier than you expected. You might this semester be taking the hardest load of classes that you’ve ever taken. So yay for the new year, yay for renewal. But remember, your brain goes with you in to 2022 her brains with us here now we had the same brain as we did last year. So what’s true is half the time we are going to think thoughts that create emotions that we like, Mmm, that feel good. And half the time we’re going to think thoughts that create emotions that don’t feel as good and listen. It’s all great and fine. And this concept of letting God prevail that President Nelson taught us has been huge for me in these times where I’m not feeling exactly the way that I want to be feeling. So I wanted to share this talk with you here. Like I said, I gave it about a year ago as a sacrament meeting talk. I actually love speaking and getting in front of groups of you this Sunday, I’m actually talking to a group of preparing high school seniors that are getting ready to go on missions. That’s happening this weekend. And I’m super excited about that. So if you need someone to speak to a mental mission prep kind of a thing. I would love to do that for you just send me an email Jennie at Jennie dildine.com. I actually don’t have a recording of this talk. So I’m actually just gonna give the talk to you now. And here we go. It was a sunny afternoon in the middle of June of 2007. I sat on a set of stairs near the side entrance of a tall red brick building. I was tired having been up most nights with an only four month old baby. The sun is bright, but I’m not paying attention. I’m speaking intently to the person on the other side of the phone. I’m explaining between pauses, trying to keep my tears at bay. How a routine baby Wilczek appointment led to a simple x ray, which then led to an MRI. I don’t remember where four month old Lydia was at that moment. All I remember is that I couldn’t get a hold of Mike my husband. So I’m talking to my mom outside the hospital. They’re saying her skull is fused. They are saying it will require surgery. They are saying that the sooner we scheduled the surgery, the better. She’s only four months old. I remember saying to my mom. She’s only four months old.

9:52 President Nelson has told us the Lord is gathering those who are willing to let God prevail in their lives. Since President Nelson’s talk in that conference, I have seen let God prevail on Instagram posts, home decor, phone, wallpaper, and Hydroflask stickers. But how do we truly let God prevail? How do we as President Nelson describes, let God be the most powerful influence in our lives? Well, there are two components, courage and faith. First component, courage. Sam King in his book, learning to fly tells this story. I went to the old gymnasium that how’s the circus school, Steven urged me to try and a few minutes later, I was fitted with a safety belt and pointed to a ladder that led to the trapeze platform. As I climbed and looked up the 31 feet to the top of the rigs seemed a long way. By the time I reached the platform and looked down at the net, and the floor beneath the distance had doubled. Words like abyss, chasm, void came to my mind. I lifted the trapeze and took off from the platform, Stephen said, ready hip, and I dove into the ocean of emptiness. He goes on to say, the second time the catcher came out of nowhere. As he grasped my wrist, I released my knees from the bar, and we flew out over the apron over the crowd and swung back again, he released me and I fell into the net. Life can sometimes feel like being on a high trapeze. Even though we sort of know there is a safety harness and a net, it can feel like we are staring into an abyss of uncertainty, and unknown. It’s not easy to jump. It’s not easy to swing out into the emptiness. But what President Nelson asks us is, do we have the courage? And are we willing? Funny enough, it often feels safer in some way to count our own merits, like tallies on a clipboard, thinking that we can somehow earn our way into heaven with the perfect swing, release, mid air turn and catch. It feels comfy to judge and belittle ourselves when we don’t get it right. Sometimes it even feels more comfortable to believe that Christ can save everyone else. But it actually requires courage to believe Christ can save us. It means we have to really trust his merits. It means we have to trust His promises and surrender to the process and the plan. It means we have to muster that courage grab hold of the bar, and swing. It means we have to fly into the ocean of emptiness. We sing the hymn I’ll go where you want me to go at my grandpa’s funeral a few years ago, it’s him number 270. So it’s really meaningful to me, but sometimes I wonder if we put parentheses after all of the lyrics. Oh, go where you want me to go, dear Lord, except to online school, a reassignment or tighter quarantine. I’ll say what you want me to say, Dear Lord, except I forgive you to that one person who really should have known better. I’ll be what you want me to be, dear Lord, except for discouraged, anxious, disappointed or sad. So when we sing these words, do we really have the courage to be all in on God’s plan? Do we have the courage to let God prevail, even when that plan requires some difficulty and some suffering? Or as President Nelson asks, Are we willing to let our will be swallowed up in hints? The second component is faith. Demis E. Simmons in a talk entitled but if not said, faith is believing that although we do not understand all things he does. Faith is knowing that although our power is limited, his his not. Faith in Jesus Christ consists of complete reliance on him.

14:54 I’ve been thinking about it like Christ and His perfect love his a ton Men His power is like the safety net at the bottom of our earthly trapeze. We are up there mustering the courage to jump, doing our routine, learning new tricks, walking tight ropes, leaping from one bar to grab onto another person swinging towards us. And sometimes we fall down. Our heavenly Father knows that it is only in the falling, that we learn how to be like him. It is the only way we can grow. So His perfect love, His Atonement is the net. Just there waiting, caring, and constant. I love this scripture. These things I have spoken unto you that in me he might have peace. In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. John 1633. Do we really believe Christ? When he tells us I have overcome the world? Do we trust Him God, trust in Christ’s Atonement. In this life, we are going to experience heartache, loss, sorrow, regret, shame and guilt. These experiences and these emotions were always part of the plan. So do we have faith in the net? We can have faith that in the Falling is maybe when we learn the very most and yet the net is still there. We can have faith that through our earthly acrobatics routine. Christ’s Atonement, His perfect love is their constant and kind. Just like the net at the base of a trapeze. Elder Simmons describes what happened as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were threatened with being cast into the fiery furnace. They proclaimed, if you cast us into the furnace, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine hand. Other Simmons goes on to say, but then they demonstrated that they fully understood what faith is, they continued. But if not, we will not serve that Gods nor worship the golden image which thou has set up. Elder Simmons continues, these three young men knew that faith is more than mental assent more than an acknowledgment that God lives. Faith is a total trust in him. I love that so much. But if not that total trust described here is the net. President Nelson has said the gospel net to gather scattered Israel is expansive. This pre millennial gathering is an individual saga of expanding one faith and to spiritual courage. letting God prevail is having the courage to take leaps of faith. It’s knowing that even when we fall, we really aren’t falling at all, is knowing that none of us is beyond the reach of that net. So keep climbing to the top of the platform. Keep swinging into the emptiness, keep practicing keep creating keep living all the while trusting wholly upon the merits of Him who is mighty to save. I’m watching buildings pass by I say a little silent prayer that are now six month old baby in the backseat stays happy even on an empty stomach until we make it to the hospital for the scheduled surgery. I’m still exhausted from appointments, consultations, and different hospital visits, nights of crying myself to sleep prayers and fasting prayers and fasting.

19:50 We wait in the waiting room identification bands nervous while my home Ward fast minutes late. Are I mustered the courage to hand our little one in Peach and white stripe PJs over to the nurse, not fully understanding what eight hours of surgery, seven blood transfusions, several bone grafts and 98 stitches would look like in the days following. After one last goodbye and a deep breath the nurse carries our little Lydia through the doors. And as I blow her a kiss, for what I prayed would not be the last time I felt peace. I trusted that even if it was the last time and my desired outcome wasn’t part of his plan, that I could let God’s perfect plan prevail. That was the perfect love that I felt that day, the perfect love that casts out fear, the peace of God, which passeth understanding that day, I felt the net in Doctrine and Covenants, and in the Book of Mormon, we read, therefore, hold on my way, for I shall be with thee with great mercies Shall I gather the the mountain shall depart, and the hills shall be removed. But my kindness shall not depart from the All right, you guys, I hope that that talk helped you a little bit, I hope you were able to get some insights and some inspiration. I know that we’ve all been through a couple rough years on missions and coming home from missions and sending missionaries. It’s it’s been a real challenge these last couple of years. And here’s hoping that 2022 is worlds better. But what I know is true as our brains go with us, and we’re going to have that duality of really challenging times, and really wonderful times as well. So I hope that we can all just continue forward, trusting God and letting God prevail. All right, everyone have the most amazing week. We’ll talk to you next time. Take care. Thank you so much for listening to the podcast today. If you want to learn more about the mental and emotional tools I teach young adults so they can overcome worrying anxiety serve the successful missions they’ve always dreamed of, and navigate their post mission experience with confidence. Go to Jennie dildine.com. Or just come hang out with me on Instagram at Jennie dot, the LDS mission coach. And until then, remember, no matter which part of the mission experience that you are involved in, Jennie, the LDS mission coach is thinking about you every single day